Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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young's hill

Adventure Awaits

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Yesterday, as I was helping clean the Playroom, I noticed Foxie sitting at the door that leads to Young’s Hill.

Was she contemplating going outside? Was it too cold for her? Was she just waiting for somebody to return? I admittedly stopped cleaning and watched her for a few minutes. After some time, others began to return from their patrol around the hill.

Jody returned with some fresh picked greens.

Then Jamie returned with Burrito right behind her.

After their return, almost everybody spent the rest of the time on the top platform waiting for us humans to finish cleaning.

Annie, Burrito, and Jody

It’s hard to say what Foxie was thinking or why she herself didn’t choose to go outside, but today was different.

When cleaning was done today, Jamie requested Kelsi and Anna to go on a walk with her.

They were soon joined by Missy and Burrito. All three of them thought it was an amazing idea to sprint up the hill, which included making Kelsi and Anna sprint as well.

While Jamie, Missy, and Burrito were running around with the human caregivers, I caught two familiar figures out of the corner of my eye.

Jody and Foxie decided to have their own little adventure.

The Adventures of Jody and Foxie aren’t quite like the others. They can be equated to being like two old friends taking a walk in the park. Really just a casual stroll through the outside enclosure. If someone takes an interest in something, the other stops and waits for them.

Foxie decided to try to climb one of the structures. As she did, Jody waited for her.

When they were done with their adventure, they headed back inside the Greenhouse.

Right around the time Foxie and Jody decided they had enough adventure, the Trio’s adventure was coming to an end as well. It should come to no surprise that Missy was the first one to make it back. She usually sprints the entire hill, leaving everyone else in her dust.

Jamie and Burrito were not far behind though.

You may have noticed Jamie’s attire might have changed from the beginning of their adventure to the end. Both Anna and Kelsi told me she started out with a scarf, then half way through it turned into a waistband, and at the very end it turned into a sash. We never know how the chimpanzees will react and interact with the different enrichment items they are provided. Sometimes they are a hit, sometimes they fall flat. Jamie though has an ability to shape the items in such a way to her liking. We don’t give her instructions on how to use an item or force her to interact with it. It’s always her choice and her way. I cannot wait for Jamieween to arrive!

And here are some bonus photos I just wanted to share from earlier in the week:

Honey B enjoying a magazine with peanut butter smears.
Willy B getting ready to take an afternoon nap.
Annie waiting for everybody else to return from a patrol.
Negra enjoying her dinner celery from the other night.

The chilly snap of Autumn

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This morning marked the first solid frost for the Central Washington Valley. I had the new, yet old and familiar task of scraping frost off my windshield  before I drove through the foggy chill to the sanctuary. Tomorrow we even have SNOW in the forecast, but I refuse to believe it until I see it with my own two eyes. This afternoon the gorgeous Fall sunshine burned off the morning freeze and gave way to a cozy warm greenhouse and lots of walks with the chimps in the fresh air of Young’s Hill.

Kelsi and I set out for a pre-lunch walk with Jamie and we were soon joined by Burrito, Missy and Annie.

Front to back: Jamie, Missy and Annie

Burrito had one goal in mind, distract Chad (who was trying do some perimeter maintenance) and make him play chase instead.

Every time Chad would stop to work, Burrito would patiently wait with him…

This view overlooking the river valley is one of my favorites at the sanctuary. We are at peak Autumn foliage colors in the cascades right now!

Until they could run together to the next spot!

One of the questions on Diana’s “Inviting your questions” blog was, Does Jamie always patrol Youngs Hill clockwise?

The answer is generally yes, she does BUT not always.  If something exciting is happening on the other side of the hill, she occasionally starts in a counter clockwise pattern to check it out.  She also likes to throw us for a loop and play her version of follow the leader. This sometimes means she doubles back on her pathway and we wind up going in an unusual direction.  Today she put Kelsi and I  through our paces making us run back up the hill for a change.

Lastly, Jamie and I took advantage of the warm Greenhouse for a post-lunch grooming session. A perfect Fall day spent with good friends!

 

Rainbows and spaghetti

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We are all so enjoying your great questions Diana invited in her blog post the other day and we’re looking forward to answering as many as we can! I had a wonderful blog planned to speak to the chimpanzees’ sleeping routines and came in early to capture them waking up. They are so endearing in the mornings, typically happy and playful as they sleepily greet the humans. Some begin slow motion chase trains around the loft in anticipation of breakfast, some choose to sleep in until it’s time to eat, Burrito is ready to play wild games of chase, Foxie troll toss/chase, and others are anxious to get outside for a pre-breakfast stroll. It’s one of my favorite times of the day really.

But if you know chimpanzees, you know it’s pretty ridiculous to “plan” anything like a blog post. *Snort* *Guffaw* I mean, what was I thinking? Literally, two seconds in the door and all ten chimpanzees were wide awake and screaming and yelling at one another, nests flying through the air. Sigh…fingers and opposable thumbs crossed for next week, folks.

That said, the day was nothing short of wondrous and magical. I saw no less than six rainbows on the way to work this morning and as soon as we headed out for a pre-breakfast walk around Young’s Hill, we looked up to see this beauty over the sanctuary:

Jamie took one look outside and one look at me and immediately flew out the doorway to Young’s Hill:

Jody, Burrito, Jamie and Missy:

Foxie chose to explore on her own (and I didn’t capture any of Negra this morning, but safe to say you may picture her under a pile of cozy new blankets with a rainbow overhead):

Annie (and I) running to catch up:

I mean this is ridiculous, but what can I say, it’s just a magical place:

Can you believe the construction progress?!

After breakfast, Jamie was practicing her “bat pose” (perhaps for Jamieween, our celebration of her upcoming Halloween birthday!):

All ten of the chimpanzees were so incredibly playful ALL day long! We saw people doing moves we’ve never seen before! Foxie did a back-flip while spraying water out of her mouth. Mave was doing pirouettes and lying on her back while spin herself ’round and ’round. Willy B was playing a game of chase while swinging across the caging. It was amazing! And this went on all day! So we figured the only way to end such a joyful day was to have spaghetti dinner. Naturally. 😉

Now it’s a rare treat to serve the chimpanzees spaghetti and while we know the seven love it (it’s a common menu item for Burrito’s birthday), we anticipated the three, who tend to be a little distrustful of new food items, would most likely toss it on the ground at first sight so I prepared a backup dinner for them. But we wanted to give them the option to try it out and much to our surprise and delight, they LOVED it!! If you’re not sitting down for these photos Chad captured, now’s your chance to do so:

Willy B:

Mave:

And HONEY B!!:

Well, I look forward to picking up where I left off next time, but there’s a high wind advisory happening and the wind is not disappointing in that category. The chimpanzees are all tucked into their nests for the night safe and sound, warm and cozy, bellies full of spaghetti. I am going to get myself home and replicate that I think. Have a wondrous, magical, restful night (or day) wherever you may be. And keep any questions coming (while bearing with us on the responses – we really are looking forward to it)!

A Morning Stroll and Confession of a (new) Caregiver

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As you all know, Jamie usually requests/demands a walk around Young’s Hill first thing in the morning. In fact, Jamie is about the only individual to request a go around the hill. But then yesterday, something peculiar happened. Jamie had requested a walk with caregiver Katelyn. This usually is the time Burrito and I find ourselves in a play session. Occasionally, he would sprint out of the raceway and onto the hill, but then sprint back into the Greenhouse where our games continued. But instead of running back inside, he kept going! He stopped turned around and waited for me. I sprinted to play catch up with him. It was then Jamie/Katelyn in front, followed by Burrito/Chad in the middle, and Missy/caregiver Anthony/Gator in the end (though Missy sprinted as fast as she could and found herself waaay ahead of all of us). This was a tale that had zero video or photographic evidence. It was something I felt I could tell, but nobody would ever believe because there was no proof. There was no way Burrito would invite anybody on a walk. That’s a Jamie thing.

Flash forward to today…

As I drove up to the sanctuary, there was some light fog hanging overhead.

But shortly after, it was a clear, beautiful day.

As I let the Group of 7 onto Young’s Hill, a few went out, but not many. I gave it a little while before I went back to check on them and try to get some photos, since today was going to be a eventful day (wait for it toward the end of today’s post). Jamie was inside the Greenhouse watching everything happen through one of the windows that looks into the Playroom. Burrito, however, was very energetic and wanted to play chase, tug-o-war, tag, among many other games. I told him it would have to be a quick play session since I still needed to help clean. Then it happened. He looked at me, then looked at the door that leads to the hill, and sprinted outside. I thought this would not be the same scenario as it was yesterday. “This couldn’t possibly be another invitation to go around the hill,” I thought. But as he made his way further out, he stopped, looked back, and bounced up and down. So I was off to the races.

The video above are small clips of a walk, with short bursts of sprints, around the hill. (Please do not mind my out of breath panting! I always forget how difficult it is to run with a mask on.)

In between those clips, I tried to take photos of others enjoying Young’s Hill.

Missy and Foxie were found on one of the platforms.

Annie was on one of the platforms that one of the furthest up on Young’s Hill.

And Meredith watched as Burrito and I played chased around the hill.

And I took this one of Burrito and I coming back after our second time around Young’s Hill.

Before I continue, I must admit, I cannot help but cherish moments like this with Burrito. I always have cherished any moment I have with him (and all the other residents here). But after his scare with the rattlesnake bite, I can’t even describe the feeling. Though most of us on staff are exhaling huge sighs of relief more so now since he is doing so much better, you can catch glimpses of slight being on edge still between all of us from time-to-time. Some of us even still talk about what we were doing when we found out what had happened. I remember it perfectly. I was still at the local farmers’ market, pretty much buying out every stand that sold sunflowers (I was buying them to prepare for Annie’s birthday). I had just posted a photo on my own personal social media accounts about how happy I was to find such big and lovely sunflowers for such an occassion. Not two minutes after I posted that (I hadn’t even started my car yet to go home), I got the call. This part I admit I don’t remember so well. All I heard was “Burrito” “rattlesnake” bitten”, and some how, some way the next thing I remember is that I was at the sanctuary hearing over the radio, “Chad, after you have changed over, please come in here and keep B company.” He was still his goofy self, but at that point you could tell something wasn’t right. As more and more staff arrived as well as our veterinarian, it gets very blurry after that. I do remember afterwards, when it was my turn to monitor his recovery after the procedure, telling him as he was coming to, “Oh Bubby. You will be fine. You will pull out of this. I know you will because what would I do without you? I honestly can’t imagine a life without Burrito.” So my confession is this, I was scared. I was on a level of scared I had not been in such a long time. The rest of the staff would agree that I am one of the least likely to show or share my feelings, but this one I will share. The next few weeks, as Kelsi said, were filled with sleepless nights for all of us because we just didn’t know what was going to happen next. And the worst thought to pop into our heads was we might lose him (I think Diana said it better than I could). We honestly had no idea what was going to happen with Hoot! after we added his medical expenses page. But within 24 hours, so many people had donated to ensure he was covered. I think we all got a little sentimental about that. I have said this before and I will say it again, in all sincerity, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you! Thank you for helping with this unexpected cost. Thank you for all your support. And thank you for helping us keep our friend alive. Without your unwavering support, days like today might not have happened. One last time: THANK YOU!

Sorry for the long winded rant. No onward to other happy news.

As I mentioned before, there was a lot happening today. Both groups were very interested.

What are they looking at?

THIS!

Today the construction crew began laying out the concrete floors to the new playrooms.

Progress is being made! Soon enough, days like today will seem like a distant memory as we watch Mave, Honey B, and Willy B, as well as a new group of chimpanzees, enjoy these rooms!

Hashtag Grateful.

Happy Birthday, Peter!

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Today was sponsored for Peter in honor of his birthday!

“As a docent at the Oakland Zoo, Peter’s favorite animals are the chimpanzees. In his honor, we’re pleased to donate to Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW. Love Kelly, Mike, Katie and Michael <3”

Kelly, Mike, Katie, and Michael, thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees as you celebrate Peter today! We truly appreciate it!

Happy Birthday, Peter! All of us at CSNW hope you have a fantastic day and many thanks for the difference you help make in the lives of so many chimpanzees! They really are incredible people. 🙂

Jamie:

Missy:

Honey B:

Jody and Burrito (foreground) and Negra and Annie (background):

Greeting Tour

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A while back, one of our followers specifically requested a video of us greeting the chimpanzees in the morning.

Well, here it is.

I hope y’all appreciate the chimps’ enthusiasm as much as I do.

Neighborhood watch

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Jamie called me into action this afternoon.

We needed to quickly get to the top of the hill to investigate and hopefully chase away our neighbors who had come by. Don’t they know we are in the middle of a pandemic?

Also, she brought along a carrot leftover from lunch.

Carrots aren’t at the top of of her vegetable list but she’s not always willing to give hers up. A funny side story about Jamie, she occasionally gives us back food she doesn’t want. She purposefully pushes it outside the caging, instead of dropping it so a group mate can easily grab it. Jamie can be *ahem*… a touch malevolent from time to time.

But back to the tale our nosy neighbors! Burrito and Missy briefly joined our investigative adventure.

And Jamie successfully surprised our neighbors a little bit, which must surely have been gratifying.

But in the end, all is well that ends with a friendly equine photo shoot.

As you are simultaneously stared at by a carrot toting chimpanzee.